This late in the NFL season, there is a lot of frustration and a lot of hope, but not always in ways that you may think. While some teams are hopeful for a playoff spot, others are hopeful that their coaches will return. On the frustration side of things, some players are just tense due to waiting for their time to come, and it being given to someone else.

2012 has been a season of ups and downs for the Indianapolis Colts, but the biggest piece of good news was revealed on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. No official announcement has been made by the team, but interim coach Bruce Arians and others believe that head coach Chuck Pagano will be back on the sidelines for the Dec. 30 regular season finale.

Pagano has been away from the team since late September, when he started the first of three rounds of chemotherapy to fight his leukemia. The entire team has shown him nothing but support this season, and they are all hopeful he can be back with the team soon.

Tim Tebow openly frustrated over McElroy being promoted over him

Tim Tebow is no longer keeping a happy face on and trying to stay positive with the New York Jets. After coach Rex Ryan promoted third-string quarterback Greg McElroy to starter over Tebow, it was time for him to finally speak up. When asked if he saw himself returning to the Jets next season, Tebow said, “I’m not sure. It’s something we’ll talk about after the season. I haven’t asked for a trade yet.”

Tebow is signed with the Jets through 2014, and it appears as if he is still trying to stay respectful, but he did throw the word “yet” at the end there. The year-long back-up to Mark Sanchez, Tebow let it be known that he’s “a little disappointed.”

While Ryan has said that he expects to have Tebow put into the Jets’ game plan through the rest of the season, it wasn’t enough to please everyone. Tebow has played only 70 offensive snaps this entire season.

Drew Brees is confident that Sean Payton will be back with Saints in 2013

The season of the New Orleans Saints has been anything but conventional and easy. Quarterback Drew Brees though, believes that there is an easy decision coming once the season is over. Brees believes that coach Sean Payton – who could possibly become a free agent soon – will definitely be back with the black and gold in 2013.

“Yeah, you know honestly, I haven’t really worried about that,” Brees said. “It seems like there’s been enough going on here for us to focus on and really try not to think about that. I’m very confident that Sean will be back here in New Orleans. So (we’ve) just been trying to focus on football and not think about that.”

Payton and Brees have had a very close-knit relationship ever since both arrived in New Orleans together about six years ago. Things never really got bad between Payton and the Saints as the franchise supported him throughout the entire Bountygate scandal. He also had recently signed a contract extension with the team that would have kept him in New Orleans for quite some time.

The fact that there is even any discussion going on due to the NFL voiding that extension is quite baffling. One would think that the recently signed contract was voided, the team would offer him the same extension or a little more, and the deal would be done. That doesn’t appear to be the case though and Payton may end up playing hardball.

Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.